Cycling is much more than just a hobby
Cycling may well be a "healthy hobby" for Patrick McNally (March 28), but I can assure him that for many others such as myself it is an essential mode of transport, for work, shopping and other utility purposes. Indeed, I can hardly remember the last time I used my bike for recreation.

The fact that a rush-hour survey on a dark, damp November morning found 14% of northbound vehicles on Edinburgh's busy Lothian Road to comprise bicycles suggests that I am far from being the only one for whom cycling means transport. If this makes me a "travel-by-bicycle enthusiast" then I can only hope that Patrick would similarly class himself as a "travel-by-car enthusiast".

As for his doubts over shopping, I can assure him that I have brought up two sons to adulthood doing half of my Tesco shopping (and William Low before that) by bike, and the rest on foot. How does he think that the many people in Scotland who don't own a car get their shopping home?

Of course, cycling is not appropriate for all people, journeys or purposes, but to dismiss it as nothing but a hobby is hugely misleading. Indeed, there are towns in Europe where bikes are used for more than half of all journeys to work, and even here in Britain there are already schools which have reached that figure for school journeys.

Dave du Feu, 2 Greenpark Cottages, Linlithgow.

Patrick McNally asks "when was the last time you saw a family do the week's shopping at Tesco by bike?" With a large rucksack and a decent set of panniers, it is simple to carry a week's shopping home by bike.

Even the rucksack is not necessary if you decide not to do the whole week's shopping in one go. There is no law limiting you to one shopping trip per week.

Daily trips in a car might be excessively polluting; on a bike they keep you healthy.

Geraint Bevan, 3e Grovepark Gardens, Glasgow.

The high price of travelling by train
Can someone who knows about such things please explain to me why it cost me £60 for a return ticket from Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen (journey time two-and-a-half hours)?

The reason I ask is that, last week, I travelled from Llubljana to Zagreb (journey time two-and-a-half hours) on a single ticket with a price equivalent to £7.85.

Dr Raymond A Thomson, 11 Grahams Avenue, Lochwinnoch.

Weakness over Iran
Our Prime Minister warns that Britain will have to show "patience" as well as "firmness and determination" in its handling of the hostage crisis. Pity he did not listen to the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of voices who called on him to do just that in the run-up to the war that is at the root of this most recent sorry episode.

However, I am sure that I am not alone in thinking that he has adopted this "diplomatic" strategy against his belligerent instincts because of the unavoidable fact that 21st-century Britain lacks the means to prosecute any other strategy. Indeed, with the failure so far even of the "diplomatic" strategy ("I would describe the UN response to our plight as indifference at best," Foreign Office spokesperson) the true extent of our weakness is cruelly exposed. This, despite the multi-billion-pound Trident fee that is the price to be paid for Security Council permanent membership.

Bill Ramsay, 84 Albert Avenue, Glasgow.

Flourishing of the arts
It was deeply disappointing to note the lack of aspiration and vision of Ian Rankin when he stated that Scotland was not ready for independence and he could not see what was to be gained culturally or economically by it (March 31). As an author, this view is even more surprising, as the rise in confidence that independence creates and the cultural renaissance this leads to is clear for all to see, be it the Baltic republics, Norway or Ireland. In these nations, independence led to a flourishing of the arts and an arts scene that puts us sadly to shame.

A nation is often judged by the way it treats its artists, and our arts should be Scotland's window and voice to the world, but are underperforming owing to underinvestment. Independence would not only allow a blossoming of the arts, which goes hand in hand with rising national self-confidence, but an independent Scotland could, for example, introduce tax breaks to encourage up-and-coming artists.

As to the other benefits of independence Mr Rankin is oblivious to, no more involvement in illegal wars and no Trident on the Clyde are just a couple that would provide a cut-and-dry case, even for Inspector Rebus.

Alex Orr, Flat 8, 35 Bryson Road, Edinburgh.

Pensions crisis
Any government or Chancellor of the Exchequer imagining that removing £3bn each year from the pensions industry would not seriously damage the industry and contribute to a pensions crisis should be unelectable.

Nigel Dewar Gibb, 15 Kirklee Road, Glasgow.

Trident II will not ensure Britain's safety
Ian Bell is absolutely correct to state that the Falklands war was a clear demonstration of Thatcher's misguided leadership and was another indication of Britain's declining status on the international stage (Saturday Essay). Britain's decline probably started during the Second World War but was most obvious in the chaos following the independence of India and Pakistan. Thereafter, the signs of failing power became very obvious as one colony after another achieved independence, some through open revolt against British dominance. The Suez crisis was the final straw which destroyed Britain's standing internationally. Currently, the Iranian capture of 15 British service personnel clearly highlights our international standing.

Ever since then, because Britain is a permanent member of the Security Council, successive governments have continued with the charade of pretending that Britain is a world power. The question must be asked, does Britain now deserve to be a permanent member of the Security Council when it is, in effect, now there by the grace of the US and its provision of a leased nuclear deterrent? To go ahead now with a £70bn Trident replacement system, still under US control, is absolutely unacceptable to the majority of people in Britain. We are really pandering to swollen-headed politicians in Westminster if they really believe that this will ensure Britain's safety. If Britain is a member of a truly united European Union, why does the EU not promote an agreed military-nuclear defence policy, instead of a piecemeal approach to this vital issue?

Ian F M Saint-Yves, Dunvegan, School Brae, Whiting Bay, Arran.

Experts in sporrans
It's so nice of Labour Minister Adam Ingram MP to highlight another example of the so-called Union dividend. While he celebrates that two Scottish firms have won the £1m contract to make the kilts for the new Royal Regiment of Scotland, he forgets to mention that English firms have been awarded the £3m contract to make the sporrans and trews. Just when did the English become experts in sporrans and how long before they start producing haggis and whisky!

Kenny MacLaren, 2 Avondale Drive, Paisley.